Gauloises is a sort of cigarette of French produce. It is created by the company Altadis.
Between the World Wars the smoking of Gauloises in France was considered nationalistic and an affiliation with French "heartland" values the brand was associated with the cigarette-smoking poilu (a slang term for the French infantryman in the trenches) and the resistance fighters during the Vichy Regime. The brand was also allied to high-status and inspirational figures representing the worlds of art (e.g. Pablo Picasso).
Gauloises is a cigarette brand made by French manufacturers. It's currently owed by a tobacco company called Imperial Tobacco. This cigarette brand like other premium brands had to face legal music. In 1999 when this brand was manufactured by Seita, the French health insurance fund filed a law suit against four cigarette manufacturers, including Seita. The suit was filed to cover the costs for treating ailments due to cigarette smoking. This suit was followed by more suits, one by the family of a deceased person who was a heavy smoker and then by the French health state insurer. Hence the brand administration was shifted to Altadis which is a joint French and Spanish ownership and later this company was acquired by the current owner Imperial Tobacco Company.
The brand itself has a very interesting history, it was launched in 1910 and for a long time, Gauloises cigarettes were known for their strength and strong flavor. They were made by black tobacco that was imported from Turkey and Syria. And in the 1984 when it was launched for American audience, who like their cigarettes to be a little light, the product was called as Gauloises Blondes. The Blondes were made using white tobacco instead of the black that was used previously. The Blondes were comparatively milder and tastier.
During the early half of the 20th Century smoking these cigarettes was considered as patriotic and a connection with the French values. Gauloises smoking was also promoted as a contribution to the national good. Part of the profits that was made by this brand was given to an organization called Régie Française des Tabacs. This was an organization which worked to control the use of tobacco products by people, especially minors and teenagers. Part of the fund also went for promoting other good causes. You can also see the French influence and identity in the brands packaging, the pack designer used a peculiar French style of blue to indicate French identity.
